Where the past comes to fore, on newsprint

GANGAVATHI:  This man can be spotted seated in a chair in the last row of book stalls at the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana at the Sri Channabasaveshwara Taluk Stadium in Gangavati.   Although the description is not exactly unique, what sets him apart is that beneath a curtain in his stall, are newspapers dating back to 1920: the past has come to roost in the present.   N Kalyan Kumar, a primary school teacher from Chintamani in Kolar district, is a man with an irresistible impulse to collect Kannada newspapers and magazines. “This has now become a medium through which I express myself,” he says by displaying more than 1,000 Kannada newspapers pinned to the curtain behind him. Every time I see a Kannada newspaper not in my collection, I get the urge to collect it,” he explains.   He adds: “Science, literature, spirituality, commerce, sports and culture have always intrigued to me,” he says, adding, “There is only the problem of space. I have more than 3,000 newspapers of various subjects, and about 400 rare magazines, besides the interesting Sunday supplements of almost all Kannada newspapers; now my house is a veritable museum.”   The school teacher explains that he is a life-time subscriber to 22 weekly papers. As a teacher, I have to arouse the curiosity of my students, but what can I teach if I am not curious about this world?”   For Kalyan, local newspapers are the perfect mirrors of the society. “State and national newspapers will have other priorities. You should read the local dailies to get the pulse of the people,” he elucidates on his passion.